Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Bohemian Blue

Geez, I leave town for a few days and all hell breaks loose back home. Apparently some nutjob stole a plane in Canada, flew to Wisconsin, steered it close enough to the State Capital building in Madison to have it evacuated, and then got arrested after fighter jets forced him to finally land on a highway in Missouri.

I always miss the exciting stuff.

But in more important breaking news that revolves - I mean, what else - around cheese, Wisconsin cheesemaker Brenda Jensen emailed me this week with the most glorious news. While I've been traipsing the back country of New Mexico with the family on spring break, Hidden Springs and Hook's Cheese have been busy teaming up to make a sheep milk blue cheese.

Brenda is calling the creation Bohemian Blue and it will be ready for sale in about three weeks. I absolutely love the label, which reads: "For people with artistic or literary interests who disregard conventional standards of behavior."

Brenda, who makes several fabulous sheep milk cheeses at her Hidden Springs Creamery near Westby, and Tony & Julie Hook, who make world-famous blue cheeses and aged Cheddar at their plant in Mineral Point, connected at a party at Fromagination earlier this year. They started talking about the U.S. government's intentions to assign a 300 percent tariff to Roquefort, the world's most famous sheep milk blue made in France, and thought perhaps the U.S. might be ready for a domestic sheep's milk blue to fill the gap.

While their new concoction can not be called Roquefort, due to AOC regulations, Brenda's new cheese should resemble the King of Blues. I can't wait to try it -- I'll let you know just as soon as it hits cheese shop shelves.

About Me

Jeanne is a cheese geek and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional. She is the founder and executive director of Wisconsin Cheese Originals, where she educates consumers about the art and science of artisan cheese through educational seminars and dairy tours. She works as a Cheesemaker Liaison for Metcalfe’s Markets in Wisconsin, helping introduce new products to market. You'll find her byline in a variety of food magazines, including Edible Madison and Culture. During her journey to the world of cheese, she worked as an award-winning journalist, served as spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, and was pivotal in the development of the Dairy Business Innovation Center, a non-profit widely credited for helping reinvigorate the Wisconsin dairy industry in the 2000's. Her motto is: Have Fun. Do Good. Eat Cheese.